TULSA, Okla. – An electric first day of men’s freestyle competition at the Air Force Special Warfare Junior National Duals saw Wisconsin (Pool A), Pennsylvania (Pool B), Ohio Blue (Pool C) and Iowa (Pool D) each winning its respective group.
39 teams began the day in one of four preliminary pools, structured as traditional straight-line brackets. The top two teams from each preliminary pool advanced to the Gold/Silver bracket where they are guaranteed a top-eight finish and remain in contention for the first-place prize.
No. 1 overall seed Wisconsin looked every bit as advertised. It brought home the Pool A title with three dominant dual meet wins on Friday at Cox Business Convention Center. Wisconsin trounced California Blue, the Greco-Roman tournament champion, in the Pool A first place match, 47-18. The Badger State crew are anchored by its upperweight trio of 2022 U17 World champion Koy Hopke, 2023 U17 World Team member Aeoden Sinclair and 2023 Junior Nationals runner-up Cole Mirasola.
Pennsylvania came in as the No. 2 seed and appears to be a clear challenger to Wisconsin. It dominated the field in Pool B, including a 45-23 win over runner-up Oklahoma Blue in the finals. The Keystone State squad is filled with hammers, including 2023 U17 World Team member Adam Waters, 2023 Junior Nationals champion Vince Bouzakis, 2023 Junior Nationals runner-up Aaron Seidel and perennial top performer Pierson Manville.
Taking the top spot in Pool C was No. 3 overall seed Ohio Blue, which looked outstanding in three wins on the day. A 44-23 final against Minnesota Blue sent the Ohioans to the Gold/Silver bracket. Like the other top contenders, Ohio Blue has its share of elite prospects—none more impactful than 2023 U17 World champion and 2024 U.S. Senior National Team member Marcus Blaze.
The No. 4 and No. 5 overall seeds advanced to the Gold/Silver bracket out of Pool D as No. 5 Iowa edged No. 4 Illinois by four points, 34-30. Heavyweight Daniel Herrera scored the dual-decided win for Iowa, an 11-0 technical fall over Marko Ivanisevic in the final match of the meet. 2023 USA Wrestling Triple Crown winners Kyler Knaack and Dreshaun Ross anchored the undefeated Iowa run in Pool D.
There were no spoilers during Friday’s competition as each of the top eight seeds made it to the Gold/Silver bracket, which will wrestle at least one round on Friday evening.
The Air Force Special Warfare Junior National Duals is streaming live and on-demand at FloWrestling.com. Multiple subscription options are available to watch. Updated brackets and match-by-match results are available at Trackwrestling.com.
The men’s freestyle tournament continues Saturday at 9 a.m. (CT) with the remaining color pool duals. A complete schedule of events for this weekend’s tournament in Tulsa is available at usawrestlingevents.com.
Air Force Special Warfare Junior National Duals | June 19-22, Tulsa, Okla.
Quick Links
Men’s Freestyle Gold/Silver Bracket
Pool A
Wisconsin
Oklahoma Blue
Iowa
Minnesota Blue
Pool B
Pennsylvania
California Blue
Ohio Blue
Illinois
Men’s Freestyle Results
Pool A
1st Place – Wisconsin
2nd Place – California Blue
3rd Place – Texas Blue
4th Place – Utah
5th Place – Minnesota Red
6th Place – Florida
7th Place – New Jersey
8th Place – Kansas Red
1st Place Match – Wisconsin defeated California Blue, 47-18
3rd Place Match – Texas Blue defeated Utah, 44-26
5th Place Match – Minnesota Red defeated Florida, 50-18
7th Place Match – New Jersey defeated Kansas Red, 55-17
Pool B
1st Place – Pennsylvania
2nd Place – Oklahoma Blue
3rd Place – Nebraska
4th Place – Ohio Red
5th Place – Louisiana Red
6th Place – Tennessee
7th Place – Colorado
8th Place – North Dakota
1st Place Match – Pennsylvania defeated Oklahoma Blue, 45-23
3rd Place Match – Nebraska defeated Ohio Red, 41-22
5th Place Match – Louisiana Red defeated Tennessee, 40-29
7th Place Match – Colorado defeated North Dakota, 38-30
Pool C
1st Place – Ohio Blue
2nd Place – Minnesota Blue
3rd Place – Washington
4th Place – Indiana
5th Place – Kansas Blue
6th Place – Oregon
7th Place – California Red
8th Place – Georgia
1st Place Match – Ohio Blue defeated Minnesota Blue, 44-23
2nd Place Match – Minnesota Blue defeated Washington, 53-14
3rd Place Match – Washington defeated Indiana, 43-28
5th Place Match – Kansas Blue defeated Oregon, 39-30
7th Place Match – California Red defeated Georgia, 40-26
Pool D
1st Place – Iowa
2nd Place – Illinois
3rd Place – Michigan
4th Place – Idaho
5th Place – Alabama
6th Place – Virginia Blue
7th Place – Oklahoma Red
8th Place – Louisiana Blue
1st Place Match – Iowa defeated Illinois, 34-30
2nd Place Match – Illinois defeated Michigan, 45-21
3rd Place Match – Michigan defeated Idaho, 44-22
5th Place Match – Alabama defeated Virginia Blue, 37-29
7th Place Match – Oklahoma Red defeated Louisiana Blue, 60-5
